Lebanon

This past week Hezbollah continued attacking Israel, mostly military targets in the north and the Golan Heights, and claimed responsibility for 38 attacks. The attacks close to the April 14, 2024, Iranian attack on Israel, Hezbollah mainly targeted Israeli air defense sites in the Golan Heights, apparently to assist and support Iran. The Iranian attack caused Hezbollah to raise its military alert. Hezbollah praised the Iranian attack, claiming it was Iran's "right to respond," adding that the Iranian attack would initiate a new phase in the Palestinian issue. During the attack there were outpourings of joy in the southern suburb of Beirut. Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah secretary general noting that Israel's attack in Syria was unusual because it targeted "Iranian territory," making it a direct attack on Iran, not Syria. A money changer with ties to Hezbollah and Hamas was killed in the town of Beit Meri, about seven kilometers (about 4.4 miles) east of Beirut.In Syria, the Israeli Air Force attacked a Hezbollah military facility in the al-Quneitra region. According to reports, Syrian army weapons storehouses, apparently also used by Hezbollah, were damaged. Read more...

This past week Hezbollah continued its attacks on northern Israel, attacking military and civilian targets 43 times. In response, the IDF attacked Hezbollah facilities along the border and in Ba'albek. in one of the attacks a senior operative in Hezbollah's Radwan Force was killed.Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah secretary general, delivered two speeches for World Jerusalem Day. In his speeches he emphasized the "uniqueness" of Jerusalem Day this year, claiming that Israel was on the road to destruction and that Hezbollah was ready for any scenario.Hezbollah, the Lebanese foreign ministry and other government groups condemned the airstrike attributed to Israel near the Iranian embassy in Damascus, where Muhammad Rada Zahedi (Hassan Mahdawi), the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps' Qods Force commander in Syria and Lebanon, his deputy and five other Iranians were killed. This past week, to raise the morale of its soldiers, Hezbollah published a large number of notices on social networks threatening Israel. Internal Lebanese criticism of Hezbollah gained momentum, mainly from Christian groups. UNIFIL is investigating an incident in which four security force operatives were injured by an explosion in the area of Rmeish, in south Lebanon. According to the initial investigation, they were injured when a mine exploded. The economic situation in south Lebanon is deteriorating, and reportedly there is a shortage of medicines. Read more...

Hezbollah attacked Israeli military and civilian targets along the border. The IDF attacked Hezbollah targets and an al-Jamaa al-Islamiyya target in south Lebanon. Hezbollah reported 17 deaths, including the deputy commander of Hezbollah's rocket and missile unit and a senior operative of the al-Radwan Force. A senior Hezbollah figure said the organization was stockpiling weapons and was also interested in advanced weapons systems. According to a single, unverified report, a senior Hezbollah figure told the UAE that Hezbollah was prepared to stop fighting in south Lebanon and declare the border area along the blue line a demilitarized zone, after which it would be possible to reach an agreement on demarcating the land border between Israel and Lebanon. Criticism of Hezbollah was voiced in Lebanon, mainly by Christians, for the organization's dragging Lebanon into an unnecessary war. A UNIFIL vehicle was hit in the Rmeish area, injuring four UNIFIL soldiers. Hezbollah blamed Israel. The IDF spokesperson said the IDF had not attacked near Rmeish. Local residents reported Hezbollah operations in the region. According to a UN report, there are 90,491 displaced persons in Lebanon. An airstrike in the Aleppo region of Syria, attributed to Israel, reportedly killed 36 Syrian soldiers and seven Hezbollah operatives. Read more...

Hezbollah continued attacking Israeli military targets along the Israel-Lebanon border. In response, IDF forces attacked Hezbollah's military infrastructure in south Lebanon. Following the IDF attack on Hezbollah targets in Ba'albek in the Lebanon Valley, Hezbollah launched more than 60 rockets at the Golan Heights. Hezbollah reported two deaths (for the first time in about ten days). Amal reported one dead. The IDF spokesperson in Arabic exposed the use made of civilian ambulances by Hezbollah and Amal operatives for military purposes. An unprecedented deployment of Hezbollah operatives was reported in the southern district of Beirut, the Dahiyeh al-Janoubia, a Hezbollah stronghold Officials in Lebanon, mainly Christians, have been harshly critical of Hezbollah for entangling the country in an unnecessary war.Two attacks were reported in Syria, one on bases of Hezbollah and pro-Iranian militias and another on weapons storehouses north of Damascus. Read more...